Fibrous stock and process of making same.



" "FRANCIS, ma ma, ea em BROOK, new JEnsnYjAssIeNoR- To THE FRENCI-I-l-IIOKMANFLAX-FIBREGOMBANY, LIMITEDLOE'LONDON, ne-

1 To all whom it 11221.1] concern; g

HICKMAN, of

LAND.

' I Hsaoosis Toc;KAl in Ro'oss- .o MAKING sAM Ef I I mem -rats forming part of Iletters Patent no. 29,077,.daim1m1y1a', 1599. V pu auon'fiuanayi ,i899. sainumiasss-(st tement) Be it 1 knownthat 'I, FRANCIS Bound Brook, county of Somerset, State .of

New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Fibrous Stock and Process of Makingthe Same, of which the following is a specification;

My invention relates to the art of paper man ufacture; and it'consists in a new and implants.

proved fibrous stock therefor and the processof producing the same. This stock is derived from the flax-plant or from the straw, waste, tow, and the likeof flax, and comprises, substantially, all the bast fibers and other cellulosic tissue of the material treated practically unweakened and free of ce'mentitious materialsgums, fats, waxes, and lignin.

' It is well known that flax-straw as a raw material from whichpaper stock or pulp may be produced difiers, essentially, from wood and the straw of other fibrous plants-such as, for example, jute and hemp. These differences may be defined generally as follows: The fats and waxes of the flax-plant are far more difficult to break down and saponify with a caustic-alkali solution thanare those of wood, and the percentage of fats and waxes in -flax is much, higher than in other fibrous Hence it is necessary to provide a solution for flax which will efficiently break down and eliminate this unusual quantity of fats and waxes and which can overcome their peculiarly refractory character without. de-

stroying or weakening the fiber. I believe that by no process hitherto known ordiscov ered for reducing flax-straw to secure its bast fibers alone, not even including that of retfats and waxes be completely eliminatedwithoutat the same time greatly weakening and partially destroying the fibers themselves. In a long course of experiments I have found that by combining a proper percentage of sulfur with an aqueous solution of caustic soda the former will unite with or saponify the more refractory fats and waxes of flax and retard the oxidizing effect of the caustic, whereby the process of saponification is so far modified and hastened under proper conditions of time, temperature, andpressure that the fibrous material is protected from inj ury by oxidation and the incrustin g mattertissue can be attacked and weakened by'the caustic; f

Thepercentage of fats and waxes'in the flaxplant variesunder different conditions of soil and degree of plant maturity. Hence thepercentage ofsulfurnecessary in a caustic liq uor varies accordingly. While, however, the proper proportions of ingredients are thus variable within the range of, say, one-half of one per cent. to five per cent. by weight, of sulfur with ninety-nine and one-half per cent. to ninety-five per -cent., by weight, of caustic soda, the proportions which I have generally found most satisfactoryare about two per cent. of sulfur to ninety-eight per cent. of

scenes ligninf fats, waxes, and gums-is broken down before the fibrous and cellulosiocaustic soda. It may be said, however, that an excess of sulfur has no deleterious effect .upon the product. I prepare this liquor by boiling the sulfurin the caustic-soda solution, in which it is readily dissolved. In carrying out the process the material is cooked with the liquor in a suitable digest-er under a pressure of preferably seventy to ninetyfive pounds, with a corresponding temperature, for about four and one-half hours. The conditions of temperature, pressure, and time may,however,be interchangeably varied without affecting the desired result. I have also for the purpose of cheapening the liquor sometimes used sodium sulfate as a partial substitute for the caustic soda.

While the flax-plant can be utilized in its pristine conditioni. e., as it is gatheredfrom the fields-it is advantageous to break it beforehand by machinery, as in the wellknown processes for making upholsterers tow.

I My process can also be employed with complete efficiencyfor the elimination of the same undesirable material frequently found in manufactured flax products, such as linen yarn-or linen fabrics of the lower qualities, thereby utility. g Y

My improved process as above described differs from retting in that the latter only partially degums'the fiber, removes but a small percentage of its contained fats and waxes,

greatly enhancing their value and 2 scam? and destroys all cellulosic tissue other than the bast fiber. fite-of-lime process. in being a saponification process, which the latter obviously is not. It also differs from all other saponification processes by reason of the presence in the reducing liquor of sulfurin such form as to be available for union with the fatty constituents distinguishing this stock,whe reby the saponifica tion is so far-promoted as to make its completion possible'before the bust fibers and other cellulosic tissue are inj ured-a result not'sequent upon the treatment of this stock with any other liquor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- It also differs from the bisul-V 

